Heat dissipation device with fan holder

ABSTRACT

A heat dissipation device includes a heat sink, a fan mounted on the heat sink and a fan holder mounting the fan on the heat sink. The fan holder includes a fan guard resting on the fan, a first clip and a second clip pivotably attached to the fan guard and engaged with the heat sink. The first clip includes an actuating member pivotably connecting to the fan guard and a buckling member pivotably connecting to the actuating member. The buckling member has a clasp engaging the heat sink at a locked position. The buckling member moves with a pivotal movement of the actuating member relative to the fan guard to leave the locked position and reach an unlocked position.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to a heat dissipation device and, more particularly, to a heat dissipation device having a fan holder for securing a fan onto a heat sink of the heat dissipation device, wherein the fan holder can be easily assembled to and disassembled from the heat sink to mount/dismount the fan to/from the heat sink.

2. Description of Related Art

It is well known that during operation computer electronic devices such as central processing units (CPUs) can generate large amounts of heat. The heat must be quickly removed from the electronic device to prevent it from becoming unstable or being damaged. Typically, a heat sink is attached to an outer surface of the electronic device to absorb heat from the electronic device, and the heat absorbed by the heat sink is then dissipated to ambient air.

Generally, in order to improve heat dissipation efficiency of a heat sink, a fan is desired to direct airflow onto the heat sink. It is generally to fix the fan onto the heat sink with screws. Furthermore, it is necessary to disassemble the fan from the heat sink when dust particles accumulate in the fan and the heat sink, whereby the fan and the heat sink can be cleaned. Otherwise, heat dissipation efficiency of the heat sink will be decreased and a lifespan of the fan will be shortened. After cleaning of the fan and heat sink, it is required to assemble the fan to the heat sink again. Both the disassembling and assembling require rotating the screws by using a screwdriver. Such an unscrewing and screwing operation is laborious and time consuming. In addition, it is possible that the screws or screwdriver may drop to cause damages to computer components in the process of assembling and disassembling.

What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation device which has a fan holder for mounting a fan onto a heat sink wherein the fan can be easily assembled to and disassembled from the fan holder without any tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric, exploded view of a heat dissipation device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, together with an electronic component mounted on a printed circuit board.

FIG. 2 is an assembled view of FIG. 1 with a fan holder located at an unlocked position.

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of FIG. 1 with an actuating member of the fan holder being operated to mount the fan on the heat sink.

FIG. 4 is an assembled view of FIG. 1 with the fan holder located at a locked position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a heat dissipation device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure is secured to a heat-generating electronic component 12 mounted on a printed circuit board 10. The heat dissipation device comprises a heat sink assembly 20, a fan holder 40, and a fan 80 mounted on the heat sink assembly 20 by the fan holder 40.

The heat sink assembly 20 comprises a heat spreader 21 attached on the heat-generating electronic component 12, a plurality of fasteners 22 mounting the heat spreader 21 on the printed circuit board 10, and a heat sink 30 attached on the heat spreader 21.

The heat sink 30 is integrally made of metal having a good thermal conductivity, such as copper, aluminum or an alloy thereof. In this embodiment, the heat sink 30 is made of aluminum and formed by extrusion. The heat sink 30 comprises a base 31, a plurality of first fins 34 and second fins 35 integrally extending upwardly from a top face of the base 31. The first fins 34 are parallel to each other to define a plurality of lengthwise channels therebetween. The second fins 35 are located at two opposite sides of the first fins 34. The second fins 35 define a plurality of transversal channels 351. A pair of fixture blocks 355 extend from top edges of middles of two outmost second fins 35, respectively. The fixture blocks 355 are used to engage with the fan holder 40 for securing the fan 80 on the heat sink 30.

The fan holder 40 is made of metal wires, and comprises a fan guard 50, two locating members 55 mounted at two opposite sides of the fan guard 50, a first wire clip 70 and a second wire clip 90 pivotably attached to other two opposite sides of the fan guard 50. The locating members 55 engage two opposite sides of the fan 80 to connect the fan holder 40 and the fan 80 together. The first and second clips 70, 90 engage with the fixture blocks 355 of the heat sink 30 to securely mount the fan 80 on the heat sink 30. The locating members 55 and the first and second clips 70, 90 restrain the fan 80 from movement in the lengthwise and transversal directions.

The fan guard 50 has a grill-like construction. The fan guard 50 has a plurality of substantially circular ribs 51 concentrically spaced from each other, and two V-shaped supporters 52 interconnecting the circular ribs 51 as a whole. A second one of the ribs 51 counted inwardly from an outside of the fan guard 50 has two portions thereof, located corresponding to the clips 70, 90, extending upwardly to form a first and second protrusions 59, 58 for engaging with the first clip 70 and the second clip 90 respectively. Each of the protrusions 59, 58 is U-shaped, wherein the first protrusion 59 is narrower and taller than the second protrusion 58. Each of the locating members 55 is integrally made from a unitary metal wire, comprising a mounting portion 56 soldered on the ribs 51 of the fan guard 50 and a locating portion 57 downwardly extending from the mounting portion 56.

The first clip 70 comprises an actuating member 71 pivotably coupled to the protrusion 59 of the fan guard 50 and a buckling member 75 pivotably coupled to the actuating member 71. The actuating member 71 is integrally made from a unitary metal wire, and has a substantially U-shaped configuration. Two free ends 72 of two parallel arms (not labeled) of the actuating member 71 are bent to be circular to pivotably connect to the first protrusion 59 of the fan guard 50. Middle portions of the two parallel arms of the actuating member 71 each are bent around 360 degrees to form a circular pivotal portion 73 which defines a pivoting hole therein. A transversal arm (not labeled) of the actuating member 71 between the parallel arms thereof functions as a handle for a user to grip the actuating member 71 to rotate the actuating member 71 about the protrusion 59. The buckling member 75 comprises a clasp 77 and two connecting portions 78 perpendicularly extending from two free ends of the clasp 77. The clasp 77 has a U-shaped configuration and a bar 79 in middle portion for strengthening the clasp 77. The connecting portions 78 inwardly extend two pivots at two free ends thereof. The pivots of the clasp 77 are pivotably inserted into the pivoting holes of the pivotal portion 73 of the actuating member 71.

Similar to the buckling member 75 of the first clip 70, the second clip 90 comprises a clasp 91 and two connecting portions 92 perpendicularly extending from top ends of the clasp 91. The clasp 91 has a U-shaped configuration for engaging the fixture block 355 of the heat sink 30. The connecting portions 92 each are bent to be circular to pivotably connect to the second protrusion 58 of the fan guard 50.

Referring to FIG. 2, the fan 80 is placed on the heat sink 30 and the clasp 91 of the second clip 90 clasps one fixture block 355 of the heat sink 30. At this time, the fan holder 40 is located at an unlocked position. Referring to FIGS. 3-4, in operation, the fan holder 40 is rotated relative to the second clip 90, with the fan guard 50 abutting against top of the fan 80, and the locating members 55 engaging the two opposite sides of the fan 80. The actuating member 71 is then pushed outwardly to rotate clockwise around the free ends 72 of the actuating member 71 and the protrusion 59 for about 180 degrees, to thus lower the buckling member 75 to reach a position in which a bottom horizontal arm (not labeled) of the buckling member 75 is located below the other fixture block 355. Then, the actuating member 71 is pushed reversely and inwardly to rotate anticlockwise around the free ends 72 and the protrusion 59 for about 180 degrees until the actuating member 71 returns to the position of FIG. 1 in which the actuating member 71 abuts the fan guard 50 and the bottom horizontal arm of the buckling member 75 securely engages with a bottom of the other fixture block 355. The buckling member 75 is driven by the actuating member 71 to produce a deformation to make the clasp 77 firmly engage with the other fixture block 355 of heat sink 30. At this moment, the first clip 70 is located in the locked position and the fan guard 50 firmly presses the fan 80 on the heat sink 30. Therefore, the fan 80 is pushed downwardly and firmly mounted on the heat sink 30 by the fan holder 40.

In this embodiment, the actuating member 71 which pivotably connects the first protrusion 59 of the fan guard 50, and the buckling member 75 which clasps the other fixture block 355 of the heat sink 30 together form a connection mechanism. When the first clip 70 is at the locked position, the pivotal portions 73 of the actuating member 71 are rotated beyond a dead point of the connection mechanism; thus, the actuating member 71 is self-locked at the locked position and not easily to be loosed. Furthermore, when the first clip 70 is at the locked position, the first protrusion 59 of the fan guard 50 is higher than the pivotal portions 73 of the actuating member 71, and the first clip 70 is thereby firmly held at the locked position.

To unlock the fan holder 40, the actuating member 71 of the first clip 70 is turned from the locked position to the unlocked position along the clockwise direction, at which clasp 77 is disengaged from the other fixture block 355. Then, the fan 80 can be easily removed from the heat sink 30.

As the pivotal connection between the actuating member 71 and the buckling member 75 is located between the handle of the actuating member 71 and the pivotal connection between actuating member 71 and the protrusion 59, when a user or operator exerts a relative smaller force on the actuating member 71, the buckling member 75 can be driven to move so that the first clip 70 firmly secures the fan 80 onto the heat sink 30. Therefore, the fan holder 40 is user-friendly. Furthermore, when the actuating member 71 of the first clip 70 is at the locked position, the actuating member 71 is located on the fan guard 50; accordingly, the space needed for accommodating the actuating member 71 of the first clip 70 is reduced.

Alternatively, the second clip 90 can be replaced by the first clip 70; in other words, the fan holder 40 can have two first clips 70 at the two opposite sides of the fan guard 50.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

1. A heat dissipation device comprising: a heat sink; a fan mounted on the heat sink; and a fan holder comprising a fan guard resting on the fan, a first clip and a second clip pivotably attached to the fan guard and engaged with the heat sink when the fan holder is at a locked position, the first clip comprising an actuating member pivotably connecting to the fan guard and a buckling member pivotably connecting to the actuating member, the buckling member having a clasp engaging with the heat sink when the fan holder is at the locked position in which the actuating member is located on the fan guard, wherein the buckling member moves with a pivotal movement of the actuating member relative to the guard from the position in which the actuating member is on the fan guard to a position in which the actuating member is outside the fan guard to reach an unlocked position in which the clasp disengages from the heat sink.
 2. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan holder further comprises two locating members engages two sides of the fan guard to prevent a movement of the fan relative to the fan holder.
 3. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating member has at least a free end pivotably connecting to the fan guard and a pivotal portion engaging the buckling member.
 4. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the actuating member is integrally made from a unitary metal wire.
 5. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least a free end of the actuating member is bent to be circular.
 6. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the middle portion of the actuating member is bent around 360 degrees to form the pivotal portion.
 7. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the actuating member has a U-shaped configuration, and the actuating member has two free ends and two pivotal portions.
 8. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buckling member comprises a clasp engaging with the heat sink when the fan holder is at the locked position and two connecting portions perpendicularly extending from top ends of the clasp, the two connecting portions pivotably engaging with the actuating member.
 9. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan guard has a grill-like construction and comprises a plurality of spaced and circular ribs, and two V-shaped supporters interconnecting the circular ribs as a whole.
 10. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of the ribs of the fan guard forms a protrusion to engage with the actuating member of the first clip.
 11. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat sink has a plurality of fins and a pair of fixture blocks extending from top edges of two outmost fins, one of the fixture blocks clasping the buckling member of the first clip.
 12. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan holder is made of metal wires.
 13. A heat dissipation device comprising: a heat sink comprising two fixture blocks at two opposite thereof, a fan mounted on the heat sink; a fan guard resting on the fan; a first wire clip comprising an actuating member pivotably connecting to the fan guard and a buckling member pivotably connecting to the actuating member, the buckling member having a clasp engaging one of the fixture blocks of the heat sink; and a second wire clip pivotably attached to the fan guard and engaged the other one of the fixture blocks of the heat sink.
 14. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the fan guard has a grill-like construction and comprises a plurality of spaced and circular ribs, and two V-shaped supporters connecting the circular ribs into a whole.
 15. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 14, wherein one of the ribs of the fan guard forms a protrusion to engage with the actuating member of the first clip. 